“Content marketing” is a term that gets mentioned by a lot of marketing coaches and consultants.
But what does it actually mean?
And how can businesses make the most of it?
Simply put, content marketing is about being helpful to your target audience and sharing that content where your target audience is likely to see it.
That’s all there is to it.
Instead of pushing your products or services 24/7, content marketing is about providing value.
It’s about being a trusted advisor – someone who answers questions and helps people solve problems.
For example, Stephen runs a garden maintenance business.
Instead of posting “call us to fix your lawn,” he creates content that solves common problems:
- A blog post with summer lawn care tips
- A 60-second video showing how to water plants properly
- Before-and-after photos of completed projects
This content adds value, builds trust and attracts his target audience.
It’s also backed up by 5-star reviews and testimonials of great work.
By sharing this content, Stephen becomes known as the go-to guy for anything garden-related – long before someone asks for a quote.
And it’s not just garden stores and landscapers.
Good content works for IT firms, accountants, and even window blind retailers.
Whether you’re B2C or B2B, content marketing works because:
- It’s cost-effective
- It builds authority and trust (in a way AI can’t)
- It works while you sleep (good content is discoverable months or years later)
- It fuels SEO, email, and social media at the same time
If you’re talking with your customers and solving problems, then you already have content to share.
As my good friend Nathaniel Dunn says, “your clients are your content.”
The key is taking the one-to-one conversations that you and your team are already having with your clients and turning them into a simple format that can be shared to a larger audience.
Keep it simple by starting with one format and one channel and post one thing
For example:
- A weekly tip shared by email (like Marketing Monday)
- A short “how-to” video on LinkedIn
- A case study that shows how you solved a real client problem
Don’t try to do everything at once.
Start small and stay consistent.
If you’re ready to build a long-term inbound marketing asset, content marketing is a great place to start.
